Resilient tire.



c. N. BENTLEY.' RESILIENT TIRE. APPLICATION FILED JULYZB, 1915.

OM/ l x ya Patented Aug. 1, l1916.

` and useful Improvements in RESILIENT TIRE.

Specification of Letters Batent.

Application led .T uly 26, 1915. Serial No. 41,997.

To all whom t may concern:

Be lit known that I, CECiL N. BENTLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Freeport, in the county of Stephenson and State of Illinois, have invented certain new Resilient Tires, of which the following is a speciication.

This invention 'relates to resilient tires such as are used on various types of vehicles, and has more particular reference to tires embodying atlexible casing such, for instance, as the well known outer casing used with pneumatic tires, and cushioning means arranged within the casing serving as the resilient medium similare-to the air under pressure in`pneumatic tires.

My invention contemplates, primarily, the provision of a resilient tire such that will not be subject tothe 'objectionable features of pneumatic tires; one that, comprising but\ few differently constructed parts, will be` easy to manufacture.

My objectv also is' to provide a resilient tire having a cushioning or resilient means of novel construction. This cushioning means, I have designed in the form of a plurality of metallic shoes arranged in abutting relation within a tire casing and conforming to. the curvature of the inner face thereof, and constructed so that each shoe is independentlently movable in a radial direction and cooperates with its adjoining-shoes to hold the same in alinement and to limit their radial movement, and individual springs for constantly urging each shoe outwardly against the casing.

My invention, its mode and principle ot' 'operation will become better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein I have illustrated one practical embodiment, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a vehicle tire constructed according to the principles ot my invention; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are views of two differently constructed shoes, a plurality` of which are 'employed in the cushioning means; and Fig. 5 is a view of the under side oi' the shoe shown in Fig.V 3.

The tire, designated in general by reference character 6, is shownc'-the'drawing as pro-- vided with a rim 7 demountably secured to the wheel rim 8 by suitable means, inthe 'present case, by a conventional and well Patented- Aug. 1,1916.

known type'of mounting; and it should be understood that the particular form of tire rim mounting constitutes no part of my 1n vention.

C'lencher rings 9, suitably associated with the tire rim 7 so asv to be detachable,

each adapted to be drawn inwardly on the tire rim by means of boltsll passing tra-nsversely through the tire rim, the bolts being secured at one end to one of the clencher rings and passed through apertures in the other ring and provided with nuts 12 bear ing against the outer side of the latter ring for the purpose of drawing the two rings inwardly. A clencher tire 13 is ounted on the tire rim, engaged by the clencher rings 9.

The tire is made resilient by the provision of cushioning means of novel construction arranged within the tire casing, which will now \be described. The cushioning means comprise, generally speaking, a plurality shoes arranged within the casing in a utting relation, shaped to conform to the curvature of the inner iacel of the casing, and held yieldingly thereagainst by springs. The shoes are of two different vconstructions arranged in alternating relation, one series being designated in general by reference character 14` and the other by 15, and are preferably cast of some. metal light in weight, -such as aluminum. Each shoe is provided on its inner side with a socket 16 and depending studs 17 adapted to receive and hold against lateral displacement the outer ends oit a pair of coiled expansion springs 18 spaced apart transversely of the tire.l These springs areretained in position at their inner ends by tapering studs 19 having reduced outer ends 21 which project into the -springs and inner ends 22 threadingly engaged in the tire riln 7. Pins or any suitable means may be employed to secure the ends of the springs'to'the studs 17 and 21.

It willbe here noted that the members 19' are shaped so as to form part of the means for securing the clencher tire to the tire rim. The outeraces of the shoes are shaped to conform to the curvature of `the Iinner face o'f the tire casing, and, as shown .clearly in Fig. 1, it will be seen that but a. small portion ofthe outer faces of the shoes 15 engage the tire casing'. This lis due to theshoes 15 being formed at each end with depressions 23 extending transversely over the entire outer end por-tions and adapte to receive 7 the cooperating; portions o the extensions 24 of the slices lei. The extensions 243@ forma together with the lang s ,ysoclets 25 in each end of the shoes lll, in which extensions Qi of the shoes i5 proM ject, The sockets 26 'and extensions' 2?' are so constructed that each shoeinay he moved in' a .radial direttionv independently of the other, and is limited i" the slioes con-A tinued movement in a. given direction causing both of twoy adjoining shoes to move in that direction in unison. d

Ey the foregoingconstruction7 it will loe noted that the shoes are interengaged for the purpose of permitting radial movement .of

the shoes separately and jointly, and the entire end portions of the shoes l5 i'it int-o and cooperate with the 'extensions 241 for holding the shoes in alinement'. lhus vends of the, shoes are constructed so to permit each shoe to move separately a given radial distance and then in unison .with its adioinin 'shoe and hoidthe shoes in alinement at all times, Such radial movements of the shoes give a thorough flexibility to the tire,

designed to accommodate it in a, cushioning 4 action to whatsoever obstructions or irregular surface the tire passes over, and to aiiord an eicient resiliency.

llVhile i have shown and described one .embodiment of my invention? itl should be understood that various changes in the details of construction might loe made Without departing from the spirit and scope'of. the invention as set foi-th in the appended claims,

l claim: c y

l. The combination with a flexible tire casing, or" a'plurality of shoes disposed within the said casing in substantially shutting relation, means yieldingly urging theshoes outwardly into engagement with the inner Wall of the tire casing, each alternate shoe having protruding opposite end portions vspaced inwardly from the tire casing, andeach .of the remaining shoes having at its opposite ends a pair of radiallys'pacefgl end portions between which the protruding end portions of adjoining sections are disposed and movable radially, 'whereby the shoes are held in cooperative relation and are themn selves determinative of the range of radial movement of the adgoining slices.

2. The combination with a flexible tire tion. and constituting a continuous shoe adapted to bear against the inner Wall of the casing, each alternate shoe being shaped at its ends to provide radially spaced, opposed ahutinents, each ofthe remaining ',i this movement h5.'

shoes having end disposc said ahiitrnents anc mov "i between3 seri 3 cons shoe outwardly Wil. will heid casing and ited in their oir Y :ihutments oit by also arf? oi moved invvaroy a distf inner allotments et e ioiiiing 3 .-The comloii "l a casing, of ,pinna in the said casi relation and elwv conform to the ier 'tv-all ci the the alternate shoes being formed onthe oi side" oi 'their end port-ions "ith arcuate depressions andtheremaining slices hsv ing1 arcuate ende' cgi-tending' into the depressions, si nge constantly urging shoes outwardly 'wherehytlie shoes the projecting will he held in en; nient with 'the 'tire c ng and the said al tornate slices will loe held in with said projecting' aren-.ate ends, the C having the projecting" nds being o with longitudinally p end lspaced yinwardly rad J from til arcuate ends and the said alternate f having end portions disposed between said inner and outer ends and losing of less radial dimension than the radial distance heto'eeia said inner .and outer ends so 'that the said alternate V'slices .are movable-iii a radial di- \rect ion relatifs/ely to the remaining shoes distance limited by saidl inner and cuter ends. i

L The "combination with iexiloie tii" casing, of a plurality shoes disposed witliin thefcasiagiin substantially abutting relation and shaped' on their outer faces conform to the inner 'Wall of the casing.,y the 'ends of each alternate shoe being, formed with arcuate recesses conforming;- to the general contour of the easing and the ends of each of the remaining' shoes being formed with arcuate extensions projecting into the adjoining recesses` and being ci suiiiciently smaller radial dimension than the radial dimension hetweenfthe opposed 'faces of said arcuate recesses as to he caf pablo of free radial movement between said casing, of aplurality of slices disposed Within the casing in substantially abutting relan @nein n'. Benin generaliy 

